With severe weather season heating up, at least here in the southern United States, The Weather Channel iPhone app has recently been updated with a number of handy improvements.

Most importantly, in version 6.7, you can receive real-time GPS alerts for severe weather, lightning, and rain. That makes the free app much more useful, especially if you’re outside and need to be alerted before rain or lightning arrives.

If you need more information on lightning strikes, you can take a look at the specific map layer.

The update also brings support for the Apple Watch. Watch users can do things like view the radar, local forecast, and more directly from their wrist.

While the new features in The Weather Channel app look nice, I’m still sticking with my favorite weather app for the iPhone and Apple Watch – Dark Sky. It can be purchased for $3.99, and is worth every penny as it is both a beautiful and powerful way to check out the weather.